NED FOUR YEARS HAVE A QUESTION?

valley
valley Member Posts: 94
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
HI

IT WILL BE FOUR YEARS MAY 8TH SINCE MY HUSBAND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 3 RECTAL CANCER. AFTER HAVING RADIATION, CHEMO A RESECTION AND THEN 4 MORE MONTHS OF CHEMO HE IS DURING GREAT.
HE HAD PET SCANS, SIGMOIDS, COLONOSCOPIES AND BLOOD WORK EVERY 3 MONTHS THEN EVERY 6 MONTHS UNDER THE CARE OF HIS SURGEON. AT HIS LAST FOLLOW-UP IN DEC. ALL WAS CLEAR. MY WORRY IS THAT THE SURGEON WANTS HIM TO HAVE A COLONOSCOPY IN MAY WHICH IS GREAT BUT NO MORE PET SCANS. HE SHOULD KEEP FOLLOW UPS WITH HIS ONOCOLOGIST, BLOOD WORK AND COLONOSCOPIES. SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT NO MORE SCANS AFTER FOUR YEARS? I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR OPINIONS.


VAL

Comments

  • shmurciakova
    shmurciakova Member Posts: 906 Member
    #2
    Hello.
    Hi Val,
    I am 5+ years out from Stage IV. I never had PET scans unless something showed up on a CT scan. I am not quite sure the reasoning, but I certainly think having a PET scan every single checkup is overkill. Most of the time nodules under 1cm don't light up on a PET scan anyway. I had my last CT scan at 4 1/2 years. I had blood work and a checkup at 5 years and now have been released from my oncologist to follow up w/ my GP w/ blood work and so forth...I also continue to get colonoscopies.
    Your husband was only Stage III, so I think this is a reasonable approach for him.
    He does need to continue w/ blood work and checkups though, he will probably only have to go to the oncologist for one more year.
    Sounds like he is doing great,
    Susan H.
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #3
    shmurciakova said:

    Hello.
    Hi Val,
    I am 5+ years out from Stage IV. I never had PET scans unless something showed up on a CT scan. I am not quite sure the reasoning, but I certainly think having a PET scan every single checkup is overkill. Most of the time nodules under 1cm don't light up on a PET scan anyway. I had my last CT scan at 4 1/2 years. I had blood work and a checkup at 5 years and now have been released from my oncologist to follow up w/ my GP w/ blood work and so forth...I also continue to get colonoscopies.
    Your husband was only Stage III, so I think this is a reasonable approach for him.
    He does need to continue w/ blood work and checkups though, he will probably only have to go to the oncologist for one more year.
    Sounds like he is doing great,
    Susan H.

    almost 2 years out from surgery
    and have had no scans at all since...They do however get me in every 3 months for blood draws and tests and I did have colonoscopy late last fall. Mine thinks that unless he sees an increase in levels rising then there is not a need for more scanning.......I agree
  • valley
    valley Member Posts: 94
    #4
    shmurciakova said:

    Hello.
    Hi Val,
    I am 5+ years out from Stage IV. I never had PET scans unless something showed up on a CT scan. I am not quite sure the reasoning, but I certainly think having a PET scan every single checkup is overkill. Most of the time nodules under 1cm don't light up on a PET scan anyway. I had my last CT scan at 4 1/2 years. I had blood work and a checkup at 5 years and now have been released from my oncologist to follow up w/ my GP w/ blood work and so forth...I also continue to get colonoscopies.
    Your husband was only Stage III, so I think this is a reasonable approach for him.
    He does need to continue w/ blood work and checkups though, he will probably only have to go to the oncologist for one more year.
    Sounds like he is doing great,
    Susan H.

    NED FOUR YEARS HAVE A QUESTION
    SORRY I REALLY WASN'T CLEAR ABOUT PET SCANS.THE REASON THEY STARTED DOING PET/CT SCANS
    WAS BECAUSE IN DEC 2006 AFTER HIS FIRST CT SCAN THE AREA WHERE THE TUMOR WAS SHOWED TINY BUBBLES THEY THEN DID A PET AND IT DID LIGHT UP BUT THEY DID BIOPSIES THEN AND EVERY THREE MONTHS SINCE AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS INFLAMMATION DUE TO RADIATION.NO SIGNS OF CANCER.

    VAL
  • dianetavegia
    dianetavegia Member Posts: 1,942 Member
    #5
    CT scans are recommended only once a year.

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